While You Were Gone
by King Baka
Summary: Three years is a long time to wait. This is a chronicle of Inuyasha's adventures (and misadventures) in Kagome's absence.
1. Old Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.

A/N – this is, as you might guess, a collection of stories centering on Inuyasha's adventures in the Sengoku Jidai during Kagome's absence. At this point I don't know if it will only be a few stories or many more. The first three stories are in chronological order, but subsequent entries may not be. Unless otherwise noted, the stories in this collection will be manga only.

* * *

Old Friends

Inuyasha felt a small grin tug at his lips as he sprinted through the trees, genuinely enjoying the chance to stretch his legs, and the accompanying sense of purpose. He didn't mind traveling with Miroku, but the monk was only human so they had to walk most of the time. Carrying him would have been awkward for a number of reasons, and neither one of them had ever made such a proposal. It had taken them six days to reach the site of the current job, which to this point was the farthest they had journeyed from home.

Home. Even after half a year, that concept still seemed odd to him. It was something he had never truly expected to have, except for that brief period of time after he had agreed to become human for Kikyou and live with her. Even after waking from his fifty-year slumber, he had seldom permitted himself to think of anything beyond slaying Naraku and dealing with the Shikon no Tama. He had learned long ago that dreaming of the future was a pointless endeavor. Nothing ever seemed to work out the way he wanted it to. That thought caused the dull ache within his chest to throb faintly, the same ache which he had borne for the last six lunar cycles. It was no surprise that home didn't really feel like home, considering what he had lost.

Still, he was grateful. He had been accepted into the village community, and remained a significant part of his friends' lives. He valued their support and companionship more than they would ever know. Sango was currently at home, just past the midpoint of her pregnancy with the couple's first child. Or _children_ , unless his ears were deceiving him. He hadn't quite found the right way to tell them that he could hear two distinct heartbeats coming from Sango's belly. Maybe that blabbermouth kitsune would do it for him, the next time he visited.

A shift in the scent trail broke Inuyasha from his musings, and he turned to follow it. He and Miroku had come here, as they usually did, at the behest of desperate villagers seeking a solution to their youkai problem. They never knew exactly what to expect, whether the youkai was living within the village in a disembodied form, or lurking outside of it in physical form. The former was Miroku's area of expertise, but the latter he usually left to his hanyou companion. It was a pretty good system, in Inuyasha's opinion, even though it sometimes annoyed him to travel for days only to find that there was nothing for him to do. Such was not the case this time. There was some debate as to what type of youkai had been taking their livestock, but all agreed that it was a large beast. And once the livestock was gone, no one had any doubt that it would start taking people next.

It hadn't taken Inuyasha long to pick up the scent of a bear youkai, one of the prime suspects. He was currently tracking its scent deep into the nearby forest. The elevation constantly increased as he ran, but the trees showed little sign of thinning out yet. A mountain loomed up ahead, and he wondered if the creature had chosen a cave as its lair. Killing it wouldn't be much of a challenge either way, of that he was fairly certain. He hadn't fought anything approaching a difficult battle since Naraku's demise. In the past, that probably would have irritated him, but lately he found that he was pretty mellow about the whole thing. He actually enjoyed helping people, now that good deeds were no longer serving as distractions from some grand mission. Helping Miroku 'meet expenses,' as the monk liked to describe it, was also nice. Even if the prices he charged, particularly to wealthy customers, were sometimes an absolute rip-off.

The trail shifted again, and this time Inuyasha shook his head to clear it. The scent was growing stronger; it was time to stop daydreaming and focus. His greatest fear was that these carefree days would cause him to lose his edge. One never knew when a powerful enemy might come along, so he needed to maintain his fighting skills as best he could. The next time Sesshoumaru came around, maybe he would ask him if he wanted to spar. And if the stuck-up bastard said no, well then he might just have to force the issue…

Damn. He was daydreaming again. _Focus, you idiot!_ Once he did, he realized that his nose was picking up traces of a new scent in addition to the bear youkai. New, yet familiar. He rolled his eyes as he identified it. _Great, just great. Well, I guess this was bound to happen sooner or later…_ That didn't mean he was looking forward to it. Sure enough, he soon came upon none other than Kouga the wolf prince standing atop the freshly deceased carcass of the bear youkai.

"I thought I smelled something foul on the breeze," Kouga observed with a fanged smirk. "And it wasn't the bear."

"I could say the same thing," Inuyasha replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's the big idea killing my prey, bastard?"

"Your prey? This thing was trespassing on my lands, Inu-kurro. It's mine."

"My job, my kill, fleabag!"

"My _lands_ , my kill, mutt!"

"I'll kick your ass!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it!"

At this both males paused, as if in expectation. Kouga broke the silence first, snorting in amusement and relaxing his stance.

"This is where Kagome always stepped in and stopped us," he observed, craning his neck to look behind Inuyasha, even though his nose could probably tell him that the miko wasn't here. His brow furrowed in confusion as he sniffed in his rival's direction, and Inuyasha knew exactly what Kouga was smelling. Or rather, not smelling. The utter lack of Kagome's scent on his person could only indicate that he hadn't been in her presence recently, which must have come as a surprise to the wolf, given the circumstances of their last parting.

"Where is Kagome, anyway?" Kouga asked, his voice low, somewhat guarded.

"Kagome's not here," Inuyasha answered quietly, his tone sinking with renewed melancholy.

"Did you let something happen to her?" the wolf growled, obviously sensing the hanyou's change in mood.

"Kagome's safe!" Inuyasha snarled back, to which Kouga's eyes widened in apparent understanding.

"Oh, so then you fucked it up with her already? I should have expected as much from an ingrate mutt."

"I didn't fuck anything up, you bastard!" The sheer vehemence of that retort must have convinced Kouga of its truthfulness.

"So then what happened to her?"

"Fuck off! I ain't telling you shit!"

With that, Inuyasha turned and stormed off through the trees, Kouga hot on his heels.

"Don't turn your back on me, Inu-kurro!"

"Kiss my ass, wolf-trash."

"What the hell happened to Kagome?!"

"Keep following me and that'll be the least of your worries!"

"Inu-kurro!"

"Fuck off, I said!" Inuyasha shouted, punctuating his words with a half-hearted swipe that Kouga easily avoided. Instead of backing off, however, the wolf zoomed around in front of him, forcing him to come to a halt. When he spoke, Kouga's eyes were glowed with a fierce light, and his voice was cold steel.

"Listen, you ungrateful cur! I let Kagome go with you without a fight because it was what she wanted, and what _you_ needed. So you are damn well going to tell me what happened to her!"

Inuyasha glared at him for several moments, then heaved an exhausted sigh, his entire posture slumping. He didn't have the energy for this right now; the reminder of Kagome's absence was too painful. And Kouga was right; if anyone deserved to know what happened to her, it was him. So with something of a petulant glare, he settled himself against the nearest tree and waited for his audience to do the same. They stared at each other across the brief divide, each reveling in mutual dislike. Then Inuyasha began his tale. He started at the beginning, with how Kagome had come through a time portal from a world five hundred years in the future. He skipped over most of their adventures in the feudal era, focusing instead on the final battle with Naraku and the unfortunate aftermath. When he finished, he watched as Kouga attempted to process all of the information. The wolf's logical mind probably tried to convince him that it was all lies, but eventually he seemed to accept that his one-time rival had been completely honest with him.

"Wow," he finally said, shaking his head in amazement. "To spend three days in darkness waiting for some idiot to reach her…and to stay strong the whole time. She always was incredible."

Inuyasha grunted in agreement, letting the insult go. He held no insecurities concerning his own role in the final confrontation against the Shikon no Tama. Kagome was not supposed to last as long as she did, and he was never supposed to reach her. They had both performed far beyond what anyone outside of friends and family would have expected of them. If Kouga thought that he had somehow failed her by taking too long to reach her, then he was just being ignorant. Those who had actually faced Naraku and the Shikon no Tama that day knew the truth.

"I never would have guessed that she was from the future," the wolf continued, as though thinking out loud. "Though I guess that explains her strange clothing."

"School."

"Huh?"

"It was a uniform from her school," Inuyasha elaborated. "That's where young people in her time go to learn shit."

"'Learn shit,' huh?"

"Yep," Inuyasha replied with a grin. "Though why she insisted on wearing that thing back here, I'll never understand."

Kouga thought about it for a moment. "She was probably homesick."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Wouldn't you be a little homesick if you spent all that time in a strange world? She probably wanted something that made her feel connected with her friends and family back home."

Inuyasha stifled a grimace. That…actually made a lot of sense. But he'd be damned if he told Kouga that.

"Shut up, wolf-turd," he grumbled, cringing at how lame that sounded.

"Why, you pissed that I figured out something that your halfwit brain has been stumbling over for years?"

"I said shut up!"

Kouga shook his head in mock derision. "I honestly don't know what Kagome ever saw in you. You're not very strong. Or good-looking. You have the maturity of a child and the intelligence of a pile of dog shit. And with the way you treated her half the time…I'll never understand it."

Inuyasha couldn't muster anything to say in response to that assessment. His heart felt raw, its deepest insecurity exposed for all the world to see. Perhaps Kagome had not come back…because she'd realized that he was unworthy of her? Without comment, he stood to leave.

"Hey."

The sudden seriousness in Kouga's voice stopped him, and he turned to find the wolf glaring at the ground by his feet.

"If Kagome has a choice in the matter," he began, sounding as though each word was catching in his throat, "then I'm sure she'll come back someday. And…it won't be for me. So, if she returns, I won't interfere. You have my word on that."

Inuyasha blinked at this shocking turn of events. Idly, he realized that he previously would have rubbed the wolf's nose in something like this. Instead he felt only humility, and gratitude. His one-time rival was offering him an olive branch, and he would be a fool not to accept it.

"Thank you," was all he could think to say, but it was enough. Kouga nodded, his expression taking on a fierce glint.

"Any more heartache though, and I'll personally beat you to a bloody pulp."

"If that happens, I'll let you," Inuyasha replied solemnly. The next few moments passed in awkward silence, as Kouga lost himself in his own thoughts and Inuyasha debated whether to extend his own olive branch. Eventually, grudging respect won through over mutual dislike.

"If Kagome does return…would you want to see her?"

Kouga seemed surprised by the offer, but only had to consider it briefly before nodding. He rose to his feet, his lips twisting in a teasing smirk.

"Though that might not be such a good idea for you. If Kagome sees me, she might remember what a real man looks like."

"Last time I checked, 'real man' doesn't mean mangy fleabag."

"It doesn't mean overgrown puppy either."

"Bastard."

"Baka."

"Keh. Run back to your cave, wolf-turd. You can keep the bear. I'm gonna take credit for killing it though."

"It's _my_ bear. It'll feed my pack for days. You can tell the humans whatever you want. As long as they don't bother us, we won't bother them."

Inuyasha nodded, having no trouble believing that the leader of a once man-eating tribe of wolves had truly changed. Such was the power of Kagome's influence.

"See ya around, Inu-kurro."

"Hopefully not too soon."

"The feeling is mutual, believe me."

With that, he was gone, and for once Inuyasha didn't even mind not getting the last word in. He didn't think he would ever like Kouga, or see him as a friend. But it was enough to know that the wolf would respect Kagome's decision as to whoever she chose to be with. And if she returned, he would honor his own word and bring her to reconnect with an old friend.

For now, he would return to the village and make sure Miroku hadn't gotten into any trouble. Then, the two of them would collect their earnings and begin the long journey home.


	2. Watchdog

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.

* * *

Watchdog

Inuyasha cast his eyes around the room one last time before closing them, his gaze softening as it lingered on the two small forms sleeping soundly in the corner. A smile played at the corners of his lips as he folded his arms into the sleeves of his suikan and settled back against the wall by the doorway, prepared to defend his charges with his life if need be. Not that he expected any trouble. Still, this was the first time he had been asked to watch Miroku and Sango's children by himself, and he was going to make damn sure not to screw it up. It still amazed him, their trust. While most parents would sooner claw his eyes out than leave their children in his care, his friends didn't hesitate to ask him to watch their first-born daughters for the evening. It was humbling to say the least.

On a practical note, he was still confused about why they had asked him to babysit. Sure, Kaede was old—and getting older—and needed her rest. But Rin could stay up late. At the very least, he would have expected Rin to be here with him. Whatever the reason, they had asked him and him alone, and he would not let them down. It was a responsibility he had never expected, but he found that he didn't mind. Especially not after Miroku had taken to complaining during their last youkai extermination trip that he and Sango hadn't been able to spend much 'quality time' together as of late. Business had been booming recently, which was good for their finances but bad for marital harmony. Sango was strong, but even she was not immune to the strain of being a full-time mother. Both of them were looking forward to the winter, when Miroku's business would likely slow down somewhat to allow him to be home more often. And in the meantime, they obviously hoped to 'reconnect' this evening, in multiple meanings of the word. Far from being solely focused on sex, Miroku apparently had something romantic planned. Seeing the couple's mutual excitement as they departed had been more than enough thanks for Inuyasha. That being said, if they wanted to express their gratitude another way, for example by cooking one of his favorite meals for him tomorrow, then who was he to refuse?

A pleasant thought, but that would only come to pass if he took good care of the girls, Miroku and Sango's pride and joy. Asayake, morning glow. Yuuyake, evening glow. Beautiful names for beautiful children. There had been a gorgeous sunset the night Sango went into labor, and by the time the twins were finally born the following morning, an equally breathtaking dawn had risen in the east. The couple had been undecided about names up until that point, but after that the right names seemed obvious. It was as though the Kami had made the decision for them.

 _And now they're under my care_ , Inuyasha thought with a twinge of nervousness. He rolled his shoulders as if to shake it off, and firmed his countenance. Everything would be fine. Miroku and Sango had put the girls to bed before they left, and with any luck, the children would remain soundly asleep until their parents returned. They tended to wake up at the crack of dawn, but generally slept through the night. As long as no one woke them up, he shouldn't have any problems.

"Hey, Inuyasha!"

"Wah!" he shouted, slamming his hands over his own mouth to stifle himself. He glanced toward the girls with wide eyes, holding his breath as they stirred, and then finally settled down again. Crisis averted, he slowly turned to favor the intruder with a formidable glare. Shippou had the good grace to look sheepish, but also more than a little amused.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here, runt?!" Inuyasha demanded in a whisper.

"Just seeing if it was true," Shippou replied, with entirely too much perkiness and volume for the hanyou's liking. "Rin said Miroku and Sango left you in charge, but I had to see it with my own eyes."

"Yeah, well take a good look and then beat it."

"So they really asked you to watch the girls?" the kitsune inquired, the mischief in his tone rousing Inuyasha's suspicions.

"So, what of it?"

"Well…you're not off to a very good start, letting me sneak up on you."

"Why you…"

"What if I'd been an oni?"

"You're gonna be _unconscious_ if you don't beat it!"

"Ooh, I'm hungry for human flesh, thirsty for fresh blood!"

"And my first is itching to pound that smartass head of yours! Now—" He cut himself off, holding his breath as the girls stirred, only to once again settle down.

"That's twice you've almost woken them up, baka," Shippou teased. He quelled as his friend's glare settled on him, even more furious than before. Inuyasha, not trusting himself to speak, merely raised a clawed hand and pointed at the door.

"Aw, come on, Inuyasha! I wanted to show you something!"

"No."

"But I learned a new illusion at the kitsune academy…"

" _Hell_ no."

"Aw, but—"

"Dammit, runt! Show me tomorrow!"

"But I wanted to show you tonight! Pleeeeeaaaaase!"

Inuyasha groaned and slammed his head back against the wood. He knew from experience that when Shippou got like this, he didn't shut up until he got his way. This had become a normal ritual for them, the kitsune returning from the academy and showing him what he had learned. He had probably been excited about it all day. And suddenly Inuyasha didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Is it a _quiet_ illusion?" he demanded, his tone demanding truth.

"Yes! It won't make a sound, I promise!"

Inuyasha glared at him for a moment longer, then heaved a long-suffering sigh. _I know I'm going to regret this…_ He nodded anyway.

Shippou was true to his word…at first. The illusion was really just an increased level of refinement in his fox fire. Instead of merely casting it, Shippou was learning how to control it. And as a dragon made of blue fire undulated gracefully around the room, Inuyasha had to admit that he was impressed. At least until it knocked over a few rolls of firewood…then a cooking pan…then a stack of bowls. The more panicked Shippou became, the wilder his creation grew, until it seemed to possess a mind of its own. Inuyasha briefly considered throttling the kit to see if that would work, but instead he leapt to his feet to slash the bright and _noisy_ dragon out of existence.

Twin gasps. Inuyasha froze, his clawed hand poised in mid-strike, as he slowly turned to gaze into the corner of the room, a sensation of absolute dread settling in his stomach. Two sets of terrified eyes stared back at him, reflecting the eerie blue glow of the monster which had frightened them so. Inuyasha immediately dispatched it, the illusion dissipating with one swipe of his claws. But it was too late; the damage had been done.

There was a brief moment of silence. And then the twins started bawling.

The livid glare which Inuyasha directed at Shippou then would forever give the kitsune reason to be grateful that looks could not in fact kill you.

"Well…I, uh…see ya!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Inuyasha snarled, diving after the fleeing kitsune, only to swear and bang his fist against the floorboards when Shippou proved just a bit too elusive for him.

"Get back here, you bastard! I'm gonna shave your tail for this!"

He would have to get his revenge another time, however. His first priority had to be getting the girls to stop crying. He covered his ears with his hands, his head already throbbing. This wasn't normal 'I want something' crying. This was full-blown _fear_ crying, which he was dismayed to learn was ten times worse. He knew of one thing which might make them stop, one humiliating, degrading thing. But even that wouldn't do any good right now, he realized. The weak-eyed humans probably couldn't see a thing in the dark hut. Actually, the darkness was probably contributing significantly to their fear. At least, he hoped it was.

After setting a new Sengoku Jidai record for starting a fire, Inuyasha turned to the girls. On second thought, he was glad that Shippou had left. This was going to be embarrassing enough without anyone around to witness it. The girls had calmed a little, enough so that they at least had their eyes open, glancing fearfully around the room, but were still crying in earnest. He strode over and knelt right in front of them, gently taking their hands and leaning down so he was at their eye level.

"Asayake, Yuuyake!" he called in what he hoped was a bright, friendly voice. It sounded awkward and weird to his ears, but both girls focused on him, so that was something. "You're okay! The bad monster is gone."

"Otou!"

"Okaa!"

 _Oh, shit._

"Uh, Otou and Okaa will be back soon!"

"Otou!"

"Okaa!"

 _Double shit._

"They'll be back soon! For now, you have…" _I hate myself._ "Uncle Inu! Remember Uncle Inu and his funny ears?"

*twitch twitch*

*twitch twitch*

In an instant, twin sets of eyes gravitated to the ears wiggling at the top of his head, and crying turned into giggling. Then back into crying when he stopped.

*twitch twitch*

*twitch twitch*

He had discovered the 'ear trick' quite by accident one day. Sango had been weeding in the garden when the girls woke from their nap, and she had asked him to go inside and get them. An involuntary twitch had been all it took to turn their fussing into laughter, but when Sango asked him his secret, he merely shrugged, pretending not to know what she was talking about. He hadn't done it since, but now his accidental discovery was paying major dividends. He soon had the twins mollified enough to pick them both up and deposit them on his lap. Hesitantly he wrapped his arms around them, ensconcing them within the folds of his suikan. They wiped their faces on his sleeves, getting out the last of their sniffles. Inuyasha felt a strange warmth blossom within his chest, a sensation which he hadn't felt in more than two years, not since…

But no, now was not the time to think if her. He had been doing too much of that lately as it was, 'brooding' as Miroku called it. He was right, Inuyasha supposed. Moments of genuine, unqualified happiness had been hard to come by since that fateful day. But this…this was nice. He didn't want to be another parent to the girls; far from it. But…perhaps spending more time with them wouldn't be so bad.

"Uncle Inu will protect you," he told them, his throat tightening. "No monsters can get you when you're with Uncle Inu."

"Inu."

"Inu."

They hugged him then, and he tightened his hold on them in return, blinking his eyes against a sudden and persistent itch. The smoke from the fire must be bothering him. But there was nothing for it; the girls might start crying again if he put out the light. As it was, now that they felt safe and had light to see by, their minds quickly turned to more pleasurable pursuits. When they starting wriggling in his arms, he knew it was trouble.

"Play."

"Play."

"No, no, girls. It's time to go back to bed."

"Play!" they shouted as one, more forcefully this time, both sticking out their lower jaws in what could only be described as synchronized stubbornness. Perhaps their parents might have been able to take a firm line with them and get them back to bed—though that was by no means guaranteed—but _he_ certainly had no chance. All he would get for his efforts was two angry toddlers pitching two wicked tizzy fits. And that was something he had no idea how to deal with. So with no other option, he let them go, hoping they would wear themselves out soon. Preferably before their parents returned, so he could pretend that none of this had ever happened…until the next time he saw Shippou, of course.

Dreaming of sweet revenge made the time pass by more quickly, as he watched the girls. They were playing next to each other rather than with each other, which Sango had explained was normal for kids their age. How many moons had passed since their birth? Seventeen? Eighteen? Something like that. They showed no signs of wearing down, but Inuyasha knew it was only a matter of time. Everything was going fine until both girls reached for the same toy at the same time. Their eyes met, a flash of something bitter passing between them. _Oh, shit…_

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

The girls didn't know many words, but that had been one of the first they learned. It was also one of their favorites, perhaps surpassed only by 'no.' Their parents were smart enough to make sure they had two of every toy, but that never seemed to matter to the toddlers.

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

Now they were tugging the poor wooden horse between them, and it didn't take a genius to figure out where this was going. One of them would lose and be inconsolable for quite some time. And that headache of his which had been simmering for most of the evening would roar to life once more.

"Asayake! Yuuyake! Look!" he exclaimed, snatching the horse's twin off the floor and prancing it up to them. "This little horse wants to play too. Can you play with him?"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

 _Well, that didn't work._ He wanted to yell at them. 'It's the same damn horse! Are you freaking kidding me?!' But he didn't say that. They were just kids.

Don't. Yell. At the kids.

 _Shit, how does Sango do this?_

Remembering, he yanked the horse out of the girls' hands and moved it behind his back with the other one. Then, before they could start crying, he leaned down and spoke in what he hoped was an exciting and mysterious tone. Though it might have just come out as awkward and weird again.

"Okay, girls, I'm going to use my magical…uh, Inu powers to make one horse into two. Can you say the magic words with me?" Each of them babbled something completely indecipherable. "Poof!" he exclaimed, bringing each horse out from behind his back simultaneously and handing it to one of the girls. They looked at each other, then at the other's horse, but apparently they each decided that their own horse was better and went back to their own play. Inuyasha sighed in relief, giving himself a mental pat on the back.

Over the next several minutes, the horses continued their whirlwind adventures. Galloping across the floor. Cantering across the walls. Trotting atop a hanyou's head. _Ow, that hurts._ Then it apparently started munching on his ear. _Damn, that hurts!_ Finally it left, but not after dropping an imaginary turd on his head, if the little noise Yuuyake made was any indication. That was fine, as long as the girls let out some of their seemingly boundless energy and went back to sleep soon!

Of course, it couldn't be that simple. _What the hell time of night is it?_ he asked himself a while later. It felt like they had been playing for half the night. They had lost interest in the horses and moved on to their other toys, only to return to the horses again. Only now the horses weren't running; they were _leaping_ across the room.

"Girls, remember your Otou and Okaa said no throwing—"

*bonk*

"Gah!" he cried, rubbing his sore cranium. Distracted by the pain from Yuuyake's ridiculously powerful toss, he didn't notice as Asayake's horse landed in the fire pit, precariously close to the dancing flames. By the time he realized what she was doing, she was already toddling straight toward the fire.

"Noooooooooo!"

The next several seconds seemed to pass by in slow motion. As he lurched into a crouch. As he dove across the room with his hands outstretched. As he caught Asayake just before she got too close to the fire. And finally, as his momentum carried him face-first into the flames.

"Gaaaaaaaaaah!"

He pulled back from the burning agony, inadvertently losing his grip on Asayake and tossing her into the air. He wanted to run and dunk his face into the river, but instead he lurched to the side and caught her on the way down. She squealed in elation, ignorant of his misery. Somehow, her laughter made it hurt less.

"Again!"

 _Oh, no…_

"Asa—"

"Again! Again!"

Once more he had to choose between happy toddlers and pissed off toddlers. Sighing, he tossed Asayake and caught her, then repeated the motion several more times, pinning his ears back all the while. For all the good it did.

"Me! Me!"

 _Shit and double shit!_

Yuuyake wanted to be tossed too. But Asayake didn't want to be put down to give her sister a turn. But Yuuyake would start bawling if he didn't give her a turn. But Asayake would start bawling if he left her on the floor for too long. But he didn't trust himself to toss them both at the same time. And Yuuyake wanted a longer turn. And Asayake wanted a longer turn. And their delighted screams were like knives stabbing into the side of his head. He was going to go deaf by the time the evening was over, he just knew it.

How long did they expect him to keep this up, anyway?

* * *

Sango sighed happily as their home came into view. She felt fully sated in every way possible, but it was nice to be home. She had never been able to completely stop worrying about the girls, though Miroku did an excellent job of 'distracting' her, both before—and especially during—their lovemaking. Work and stress had caused them to drift apart lately, not enough to truly worry either of them, but enough so that they both noticed it. Now Sango felt closer to him than she had in a long time. They would have to do this more often. She felt Miroku's hand tighten around her waist. She looked up to find him smiling down at her, and knew that he was thinking the same thing.

It wasn't until they were within a dozen meters or so of the hut that they noticed the faint glow shining around the edges of the doorway. They shared a look of concern, then hurried the rest of the way to the hut. What they found simultaneously put their minds at ease and drew warm chuckles from each of them. Inuyasha was lying sprawled out on the floor on his back, dead to the world and snoring softly. Asayake was nestled into his left side and Yuuyake his right, each of them also slumbering peacefully.

"Well, it does not appear that the girls stayed asleep," Miroku observed in amusement.

"They look comfortable though. Let's leave them where they are."

Miroku agreed, not wishing to accidentally wake them up. He did grab a blanket and put it over the three of them, tucking it in around the girls' chins. He lingered for a moment, watching them sleep. It was a sight which he missed when he was on a job. He missed everything about them. His girls. His wife. If he could provide for them without ever leaving the village, he would. But he wasn't cut out to be a farmer, and his work helped people in need. Hopefully the work would die down a bit in the winter.

As he moved to join his wife in their sleeping area, he happened to notice something odd. Something which he wasn't sure whether to laugh at or be concerned about.

"Sango, can you come here for a moment?"

"What is it?" she asked, sidling up next to him.

"Is it my imagination, or is Inuyasha missing an eyebrow?" Her stunned silence provided all the answer he needed.

"Do we want to know how that happened?" she asked eventually.

He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think we do. Let's go to bed before we notice anything else which might make us think twice about ever leaving our children with Inuyasha again."

"Good idea."

Later, as they cuddled under the covers, Miroku's thoughts once again drifted to his hanyou friend.

"Do you think Inuyasha had fun with the girls?"

"He'll never admit it, but I imagine he did."

"He's just been in such a funk lately. I was hoping that spending time with them might give him a little joy, even if it was just watching over them while they slept."

Sango leaned up to kiss him. "You're a good man, Miroku."

He grinned, tilting his head down to capture her lips once more. Sango had finally started calling him by his name sometime during her pregnancy. Since then, she only used 'Houshi-sama' when she thought he was being a pervert, or sometimes in the heat of passion during lovemaking. For some reason, he always found the latter instance incredibly sexy.

Their kiss this time was leisurely, the passion in no way diminished by the absence of lust. Neither of them felt the need to do anything except hold each other. Even he, the former lecher, was fully satisfied.

Sango eventually pulled away from the kiss, adopting a warm smile. "And I may have some good news for you very soon," she declared coyly.

"Oh?"

"Tell me, are you still ready for that third child?"

"What do you know?" he asked excitedly.

"I don't _know_ anything. It's merely a hunch."

"Ah. Well, I learned long ago to trust your hunches."

"And if I'm not with child," she continued, leaning in close to whisper in his ear, "well, then we'll just have to keep trying, won't we?"

Miroku stifled a groan. Sango was still reserved around others, and probably always would be. He honestly wouldn't have her any other way. Still, he loved how she had opened up to him over these past two years. His love for her had only grown, something he hadn't thought possible. When was the last time he'd told her that?

"Have I told you that I love you tonight?"

Sango chuckled. "You might have…in other circumstances."

"Ah," he replied, remembering the moment fondly. "Well, some men are most honest in those circumstances."

"Sure, sure, _Houshi-sama_ ," she countered pointedly, drawing a laugh from him.

Later, as Sango slumbered in his arms, Miroku gazed up at the ceiling with a warm smile gracing his features. Another child…he wondered what it would be. He hoped for a boy, only because he had two girls already. He had a feeling that it would be a boy.

 _I wonder what we'll name him…_

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A/N – Miroku and Sango's children don't have official names, so I made up my own. The translations are beautiful, and after listening to audio of their pronunciations, I like how they sound as well. I don't think either name is very common, but then neither are Sango (coral) and Kohaku (amber). Perhaps it's a taijiya tradition to use unusual names?


	3. One Thousand Marks

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.

A/N – this story was written as a songfic, containing the lyrics from "Far and Away" by Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. I removed them from this site, per the terms of service. The full story with lyrics is available at Media Miner and Archive of Our Own.

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One Thousand Marks

One thousand. He blinked in disbelief. Was it really so many? He stepped back and counted again.

One thousand. Part of him couldn't believe it, but the emptiness in his chest confirmed the somber truth. One thousand marks in the bark of the old tree. One for each day since he had last seen her.

He hadn't made any marks at first, choosing instead to keep track of the days in his head. Then one morning, for the first time, he realized that he could no longer be completely sure how many days had passed. He remembered the moment with absolute clarity, the way abject panic both quickened his heartbeat and chilled his blood. For some reason he couldn't fathom at the time, it had become incredibly important for him to know how long he'd been without her.

He couldn't breathe again until he'd wracked his brain, searched every corner and crevice of his memory, and found the correct answer. And on that day, he began his lonely count here at this old tree.

Day after day, he placed a mark in the aged bark, scratching deeply into the wood with a single claw, a look of anxious concentration marring his features. He arranged them in neat rows, ostensibly to make them easier to count, but deep down he knew his obsession to be driven by something more. Each mark had to be perfect. Anything less felt like a disservice to her.

He tried to deny it for a brief time, how badly he missed her. He fought much longer against his inherent knowledge of the reason why. Admitting it, even to himself, inspired a fear more daunting than any he had ever experienced. But as the first row of marks lengthened, as he increasingly felt that he would rather carve them into his own chest than place them on that damn tree, the truth of his feelings had become unbearable, uncontainable. It was not mere friendship, what he felt for Kagome.

He remembered the day he had finally admitted it, slumped over against this very tree, his body shaking in fear and longing. That miserable, glorious day, when his heart had finally shattered its stubborn shackles and poured itself from his being, along with a few rogue tears. The day when he finally admitted that he loved her.

And strangely, the burden of his loneliness eased. His feelings for Kagome became a comfort, rather than a curse. A bitter comfort, one which haunted his waking moments and tantalized him in his dreams. But a comfort nonetheless.

Nearly three years had passed since he had last gazed into her eyes, savored her scent. She seemed so close sometimes, as if he could reach out and touch her any time he wanted. But that was merely a pleasant fantasy, and reality was cruel. In truth, she was as far from him as she had ever been.

Time. The bane of man, the master of all living creatures. The magic of the bone eater's well had granted them a special privilege, a passage through the unpassable. A path which should never have existed, and which neither of them fully appreciated until it closed. Forever. Only a miracle could open it now.

Still, he would keep his count. If it was a miracle he needed, then for a miracle he would wait. If it took a hundred days, or a thousand, or ten thousand, he would wait.

Few things in this life were worth waiting for. Kagome was one of them. She was his greatest opponent and his most loyal ally, the source of his angst and the keeper of his harmony. She was his love, his soul mate. His everything.

He had wished for a miracle many times during the last thousand days, all in vain. After each disappointment, he was tempted to surrender to his loneliness, to sink into its deceptively comforting embrace. To drown his sorrow in drink or solitude, abandoning all those who cared for him. But each time, he somehow found the strength to carry on.

His friends kept him going. The easy companionship he enjoyed with Miroku as they traveled. The warmth of Sango's smile as she watched their children play, the girls' joyous laughter brightening the world around them. And even Shippou, the little brother he never had, who could still annoy him as no one else could. These were the things he had chosen to live for, until Kagome returned.

And she would return. He knew it in his heart, knew it as surely as he knew he loved her. He would wait for her, for the miracle that would bring her back to him. And until then, he would keep his count. Each mark was a memory, all melding together into a living tapestry of their time together. And he would gladly suffer the pain of being without her, as long as memories of happier times endured within him. So he would return. He would return to this tree and carve a fresh mark into the aged bark, each and every day, hoping for a miracle.

No matter how long he had to wait.


End file.
